Year of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Sociology (Criminology Option)

Department or School/College

Department of Sociology

Committee Chair

Dusten Hollist

Commitee Members

Christine Fiore, Jim Burfeind

Keywords

John Braithwaite, Missoula, Montana, policy implications, registration requirements, residency restrictions, sexual offenders, success on probation

Abstract

"Society sees us [sexual offenders] as terrible people. Either lock us up or kill us. They don't want us in their community." Sexual offenders are seen as some of the most repulsive criminals through society's eyes. The term "sexual offender" encompasses many different types of people with regards to their crime, but society sees all sexual offenders as child molesters. This causes an over-whelming problem for sexual offenders, specifically in terms of housing, since there are many restrictions on where they can live. Legislation is implementing housing restrictions to prevent these criminals from re-offending, but in some cases, it can lead to increased recidivism rates. Montana has placed their own restrictions on where sex offenders are able to reside, but they lack research on the impact it has on these offenders. Sexual offenders are a vulnerable population and society needs to realize that by excluding them, especially in terms of housing, it may cause more problems for the community's overall safety.

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© Copyright 2013 Krystal Stevenson